Ruby Tuesday Parmesan Chicken Pasta

The Ruby Tuesday Parmesan Chicken Pasta  is basically penne pasta with marinara sauce over the pasta and then a layer of alfredo sauce, breaded chicken, and mozzarella cheese on top and then bake  in the oven until the cheese melts.

My dish was heavy on the mozzarella, light on the marinara, and the Alfredo sauce was undetectable. There was little sauce for the penne, so, unless there was melted cheese on it, the penne was just plain pasta.

I give this dish a 2 out of 5. It is unlikely I will ever order it again unless I was really hungry for mozzarella cheese melted over penne noodles.

Now it is your turn to be a food critic! Have you ever had this dish? Write your review in the comments section.

Ruby Tuesday of Pompano Beach 299 sw 26th

We recently visited this restaurant for a second time in two years. 

The restaurant seems to cater mostly to the elderly. The salad bar was well stocked, but food items had spilt and weren't cleaned up. And the salad bar was out of sesame seeds.

The restaurant had run out of glasses so our drinks were served in styrophom cups.

We arrived at 7:30 on a Sunday. We had to wait a long time for our seats and a very long time for our food.

Our waiter was very attentive. However we ordered a hamburger with only ketchup and mustard and instead it arrived with only lettuce, tomato, and pickle. The waiter quickly fixed the problem with ample supply of both ketchup and mustard.

The restrooms were reasonable. There was graffiti that hadnt been cleaned and the restroom was over due for service.

On a sale of 5, I would give this restaurant a 3: I would eat at it again (mostly because I like the Ruby Tuesday chain) but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there.

Bill Gray's World's Greatest Cheeseburger

I am not saying this is the World's greatest cheeseburger. Bill Gray's is saying it. In fact, they named the cheeseburger: The World's Greatest Cheeseburger. I would beg to differ... At a later time.

The cheese burger is served on a hardroll with your choice of toppings, which include their signature hot sauce (shown served on the side).

The cheeseburger is very good. Hard roll was fresh. Their American Cheese is thick and creamy.

I know many people live their cheeseburger and go to Bill Gray's specifically for it. But not me. I give it a 3 out of 5, which means I'll order it if I can't find something else I would rather have on the menu.

Have you had the Bill Gray's World's Greatest Cheeseburger? What do you think of it? Write your review in the comments area below.

Mighty Taco: The Taco

Several decades ago, boutique Mexican restaurants received new competition from the fast food movement. Giants like Taco Bell spread across the country providing mass produced Mexican style fast food.

In that blaze of fast food came a local hero in Buffalo New York: Mighty Taco! Their commercials chanting "Mighty Taco" was a call to a new generation who understood they had something unique and special.

Their taco was different from the popular Taco Bell. TW meat filling was spicier. And instead of sprinkling shredded cheese on top of the taco, they placed a slice of cheese between the shell and the meat. That simple change in placement of the cheese causes the taco to have a creamy cheese taste.

The taco picture is shown with a crunchy shell and no lettuce, tomato or sour cream, options that cost a bit more but are well worth it.

Mighty Taco is the best fast food Taco I have ever had. I rate it a 5 out of 5, which means I would go out of my way to order a taco at Might Taco.

Have you had a taco at Mighty Taco? If yes, this is your chance to be a food critic. Enter your review into the comment section below.

Bill Gray's Egg Sandwich

There is more to eat at Bill Gray's than just burgers! How about an egg sandwich any time of the day?

I love an egg sandwich served on a hard roll. This double egg sandwich comes with cheese and your choice of meat (shown with bacon). This could be the best deal on the menu: only $3.50 (compared to a $4.50 cheeseburger or a $5.50 bacon cheeseburger).

These sandwiches are irresistible. I give it a 5 out of 5, which means I will almost always order one and would be willing to drive out of my way to get one.

Have you had a Bill Gray's Egg Sandwich? Tell us about it. Write your review in the comments section below.

Burger King Spicy Chicken Sandwhich

Every time I go to Burger King, I look for my favorite Burger King sandwich: The Chicken Parm. It is a special sandwich offered only for limited times. The Chicken Parm is a variation of their classic chicken sandwich. Burger King has several different variations including a Spicy Chicken sandwich.

Unlike most people, I don't like a lot of heat and prefer a mild spice to everything. I found the heat in this Sandwich to be barely noticeable. That means if I though it was too mild, it will be unnoticeable to everyone else.

Except for that problem, the sandwich was good (in the classic chicken way). The sandwich never looks like the advertisement - the bun is flat, mayo is carelessly applied, and the lettuce falls away. But these flaws are the beauty that is a Burger King chicken sandwich. 

Have you had the Spicy Chicken Sandwich at Burger? Tell us what you think. Write your review in the comments area below.

Bill Gray's Restaurant Review

There are sixteen Bill Gray's restaurants between the Buffalo and Rochester area. These are classic burger joints serving classic hamburgers on hard rolls. Some Bill Gray's include an Abbots Frozen Custard addition, and several others include a separate tap room.

Bill Gray's was disqualified in the 2013 and 2014 Burger Joint competition for two reasons: (1) I was once charged $8.50 for a double bacon cheese burger, (2) the prices are outrageous (unless you have a coupon, and (3) the burgers are good... But not uniquely good.

There are many other things on the menu including fish and chicken dinners, salads, soups, hot dogs, and more.

I would go to Bill Grey's more often if the prices weren't so high. $4.50 for a cheeseburger. Years ago Bill Greys got deep I to the "buy one get one" coupons. To make money, they had to jack up the price of the cheese burger. That meant: if you had a coupon you were buying a competitively priced sandwich. Without the coupon? Rip off! Since then, other fast food restaurants have risen their prices. Today, a McDonald's quarter pounder with cheese can cost as much as a Bill Grey's cheeseburger. Nevertheless, the image has been burned in my mind: Bill Grey's is expensive, even if that might no longer be the case.

The food is always good, the variety of the menu is nice,  and the hot sauce unique and meaty.

I give Bill Gray's a 4 out of 4. If I was in the neighborhood, I would stop by.

Now if your chance to be a critic. Have you ever ate at a Bill Gray's? Write your review in the comments area below.

Chicken Parm at Bella Pasta Cafe

You can find Bella Pasta Cafe on the corner of Long Pond and Ridgway in Greece New York. The restaurant was originally on Rt 104 but moved to this larger building.

The restaurant decor is high class and includes a separate bar area. The kitchen can be seen from the dinning area, something I really don't like, however there is enough barrier between the dinning room and kitchen as to not be a distraction.

Today's trip to Bella is to see if they can claim "King of the Chicken Parmesan" away from the reigning champion: Giuseppe's in Gates NY.

The portion includes two large chicken breasts overtop a bed of pasta (your choice, I picked angel hair). 

The breaded chicken breast was deep fried until the edges were very crispy. However, there were still areas where the breading was soggy. The chicken was done but was unfortunately dry and tough. Also, the chicken was rather bland and seemed to lack any Italian spices.

The red sauce was unremarkable. The flavor was provided substance but lacked any flavoring better than a generic.

The angle hair pasta was perfectly cooked, was perhaps the best angle hair pasta I have ever had, and was the best part of the dish.

I give the Bella Pasta Cafe restaurant a 3 out of 5, which means I would not go out of my way to go there, but I would not object to returning.

I give the Chicken Parm a 2 out of 5. Which means it leaves a lot to be desired, I would avoid ordering it in the future, but I probably will finish the left overs that I brought home.

What do you think? Have you ever had the Chicken Parm at the Bella Pasta Cafe? Write your own review in the comments.

 

Burger King Hershey Pie

Who can resist the Burger King Hershey pie? This pie has chocolate mouse and whip cream atop a chocolate crust with a milk chocolate topping.

I give this desert a 5 out of 5, which means I order these every chance I get.

Have you ever had the Burger King Hershey Pie? This is your chance to write a review. Simple enter your review on the Hershey pie into the comments section.

Mighty Taco, Greece NY

Mighty Taco is a Buffalo New York chain that has moved into the Rochester area. Their expansion includes opening a restaurant on Ridgeway in Greece.

We arrived at 6:45 on a Saturday, a time in which most restaurants are filled with a line out the door. But Mighty Taco was empty!

The employees took advantage of the slow business to regularly clean the dinning room. That was good, until an employee walked by us and belched loud enough to be heard in the parking lot.

We ordered typical Mighty Taco food and its taste and quality was consistent with other Might Taco restaurants I have visited.

The manager was making our food as we ordered. He kept asking our order taker about our order as we were trying to order - very annoying! But our food was ready as soon as we finished ordering - no wait for the main meal.

They must have run out of cup covers because we received coffee cup covers. Worse, The soda tasted flat.

We ordered Apple Empanadas for desert, but they were out and were making more. We were told it would take 6 minutes and they would bring them to us. After 15 minutes I had to go to the counter and remind them.

I give this restaurant a 4 out of 5 only because I love the Mighty Taco brand. This means that if I was in the region I would stop by. But if I had another experience like this experience, my rating would drop to a 2.

Have you ate at a Mighty Taco? This is your chance to review the restaurant. Simply enter your review in the comment area below.

Burger King Yumbo

The Yumbo is a new sandwich added to the Burger King's two for $5 menu. It is basically a toasted ham sand which: ham, cheese, lettuce, and mayo.

Many, such as Arby's have tried to take a bite out of Subway's lock on the sub market. I think Burger King's attempt to add a cheap alternative to their menu has the opportunity to break into that market.

The smoked ham works good with the American cheese. It would be better if they piled the slice ham better instead of stacking it into a single slab of meat. There is some piling but it is weak. finally, The only thing that would make it better would be a spicy brown mustard instead of mayo.

I give this sand which a 3 out of 5, but would suggest that if I wasn't in the mood for a burger, the Yumbo would be a great alternative to Chicken.

Have you tried the Chicken Yumbo? If yes, this is your chance to write a review! Simply enter your review into the comments section.

Chicken French at Bella Pasta Cafe

You can find Bella Pasta Cafe on the corner of Long Pond and Ridgway in Greece New York. The restaurant was originally on Rt 104 but moved to this larger building.

The restaurant decor is high class and includes a separate bar area. The kitchen can be seen from the dinning area, something I really don't like, however there is enough barrier between the dinning room and kitchen as to not be a distraction.

We ordered a Western New York classic: Chicken French. This is a fried chicken breast served over angle hair pasta with a butter wine sauce.

Chicken French can have a strong wine taste or a strong butter taste. I was pleasantly surprised that this chicken French had neither. The wine and butter were balanced well, allowing other flavors to survive. There was a strong taste of the egg dipped batter, and a hint of a nutty flavor. 

The portion was very large with plenty to take home. A portion so large needed more of the sauce because the dish ran dry too soon.

In the rankings of the best Chicken French, this comes in third (behind Dakota and Red Fedelle's Brook House). 

I give the restaurant a 3 out of 5, which means I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there, but I wouldn't object to returning.

I give the Chicken French a 3 out of 5, which means I would order it again if I didn't see something better on the menu.

Now it is your turn to write a review. Have you ever had the Chicken French at Bella Pasta Cafe? If yes, what is your review?

McDonalds Greasy Hashbrown

Hash Browns are the breakfast replacement for French Fries. Served crispy and golden brown, they come with  every breakfast meal deal at McDonalds.

If you order these, try the following experiment. Place it between two napkins and squish it. Keep squishing until you get all the geese out of it. You may have to use multiple napkins. What you will find out is the McDonalds Hash brown is a grease sponge! When you see how much grease is absorbed by one of these, ask yourself if you really want to put that in your body. Whether or not you are on a diet, eating healthy, or even care - I hope the answer is "No! I will not eat that!"

I give the McDonalds Hash Brown my lowest score: 0 out of 5, which means I will never order one and if given one for free I would throw it away.

Arby's Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp, as I know it, is apple slices with sugar, cinnamon, and a crunchy oatmeal topping. That isn't really what Arby's Apple Crisp is.

The Arby's Apple Crisp is a crum covered coffee cake with chunks of apple and caramel on top. The desert is topped with whipped cream.

Overall, it is a good coffee cake if only it were sold as such. But sold as an Apple Crisp? It fails.

I give this a 3 out of 5, which means I would order it again if I didn't see something better on the menu.

McDonalds Egg White Delite

Counting calories? Trying to eat healthier? Try the McDonalds Egg White Delite. This is a traditional Egg Mcmuffin with egg whites I stead of the full egg, and TW cheese is replaced with white cheddar.

This is a great option, saves 50 calories, and is yummy. The only downside? Cheddar doesn't melt very well and the sandwich usually drips a pool of white liquid. That aside, I give this sandwich a 5 out of 5, which means I order it whenever I can!

McDonalds White Chocolate Latte

New for the season, McDonalds takes advantage of its McCafe investment to bring us a white chocolate mocha latte.

First, a general warning about latte: they taste so good because they are packed with calories, and at 280 calories for a small? Be careful!

You can order the drink hot or cold. I ordered hot expecting it to be the typical nuclear heat found in McDonalds coffee and hot chocolate. Fortunately, the additional ingredients cool the drink down to a drinkable temperature.

The drink tastes smooth with just a hint of chocolate and coffee. The smooth taste comes from the whole milk I included. The white chocolate flavor becomes lost in the drink and is replaced by a more traditional milk chocolate flavor. I am reminded of Dunkin Donuts white hot chocolate - this latte pales in comparison.

I am not much of a Latte drinker, so, that might explain my low score. I give this drink a 2 out of 5. I will not be ordering another.

Ontario Lake Winery

We went to Mayer's Ontario Lake Winery for dinner yesterday. At first when I was told I would be passing up Turkey leftovers for pizza? I wasn't very interested. But I am glad I went!

We had our favorite wine with dinner: Diamond wine. This is a sweet white wine that isn't very far from tasting like grape juice.

For dinner, I skipped the salad and went for French Onion soup. Their soup is always a winner. When I finished it I thought of ordering a second bowl for my entrée!

Instead, we ordered two kinds of pizza: meatball and smokey cheese chicken.

Linda loves the meatball, but I thought the zesty sauce didn't go we'll with the bland meatball. In the wineries defense, we ordered it without the  Jalapeño pepper cheese which would have given the meatball pizza some necessary kick.

The smokey cheese chicken pizza was my favorite. The balance of all the flavors on a wood fired baked crust was the best gourmet pizza I have ever had.

If you have a chance to go to Mayer's Ontario Lake Winery, don't be fooled into thinking you'll be just eating pizza. These pizzas are incredible and unlike anything you'll find at a traditional pizza shot. Wash it down with a bottle of wine and you'll get a glimpse of heaven.  

Welcome to the Blog!

I have wanted to do the Fast Food Critic blog for years, and now I am finally going to do it! I hope you enjoy.

Winner of the 2014 Burger Tour

The 2014 Rochester West Side Burger Tour was a chance to eat at some of the best burger joints in the Rochester area. The competition was incredible. While it looked like Five Guys might win for two years in a row, our last restaurant actually takes the trophy: The American Burger Bar.

The Holly Grail is a bacon cheese burger between two grilled cheese sandwiches. And the Tatar Tots were perfectly crispy and incredibly good.

Congrats to the American Burger Bar for winning the 2014 Rochester West Side Burger Tour!

American Burger Bar

The Rochester West Side Burger Joint Tour brings us to American Burger Bar and The Holy Grail: a bacon cheeseburger between two grilled cheese sandwiches
— at American Burger Bar and Beer Boutique.

The idea is that you have a beer from the tap with your burger and then grab a 6 pack to go.
 

Dairy Queen

This week's stop in the 2014 West Side Burger Tour brings us to a relatively new addition to the area: Dairy Queen on Dewey Ave in Greee.
— at Dairy Queen.

The burger was nothing special. I did get the loaded fries. While those were awesome, they were, like, a billion calories - not worth it.

Steve T Hots and Potatoes

Today's stop on the Rochester West Side Burger Tour brings us to Steve Toehoe's
— at Steve T Hots & Potatoes.

The burgers are good, but Steve T is the brother of Nick Tahou, so, the answer is always the world famous garbage plate! Order it to go because they really fill that togo box.

Texas BBQ Joint

second week of the burger tour brings us to Taste of Texas in Spencerport.
— at Tex Barbq Joint.

I had this potato thing. The potato has hot, cheese was cold, and the brisket was Luke warm. Nothing worth returning for.

They did have complementary soup that was incredible. I tried the potato soup ad it was the best part of the meal!

Abe's Restaurant

Stop number 3 on the 2014 Rochester West Side Burger Tour brings us to Abe's on 104
— at Abe's Restaurant.

Abes is a favorite of the locals. The restaurant is inside of a log cabin and the decorations are very authentic. The food is standard burger and fry style.

Five Guys

Mark and I are kicking off the 2014 Burger Tour. Every Saturday for the next six weeks we will try a different burger joint on the west side in search of the best burger joint. We are starting off this year's tour at the 2013 winner: Five Guys.

My joke is that one needs to check their cholesterol before and after eating at Five Guys. The fries task great because they are dripping in grease. And I am not sure what Five Guys does to make their burgers taste so good, but they are going to be difficult to beat in this year's Burger Tour.

Downtown Disney: Ghirdelli Ice Cream Shop

On the advice of Lou Mangello, We decided to try the Ghiradelli Ice Cream Shop.


I ordered the Hot Fudge Sundae with cookies and cream ice cream.


Linda ordered the Waffle Cone with two scoops of chocolate ice cream.


We usually eat soft serve ice cream or cheap store brand ice cream. We rarely get high quality ice cream that is so full of flavor like we received today. Usually I can slurp down any ice cream, but this was so rich and flavorful that I had to take my time.


The total with tax was $17, which is a high according to the price I pay for normal bland ice cream. I think Lou made a good recommendation.

Downtown Disney: Paradiso 37

The dream of living at Disney includes eating at Downtown Disney all the time. So we decided to give it a try at Paradiso 37.


The restaurant is huge with two level seating and outdoor seating that overlooks the lake. We were sat next to the open kitchen, which I always find to be bad form. They were assembling orders two foot from my face and I was continually smelling food I was not eating. I don't find the trials and tribulations of the wait staff nor their banter entertaining. On top of that we spent most of our meal fighting a fly for our food.


The restaurant has an entertainer who walks around outside speaking Spanish and occasionally singing a song. I couldn't see him, so, I can't really speak to how entertaining he was. What I was listening to was annoying.


We ordered margaritas. Sometimes margaritas have an excellent flavor depending upon the quality of taquilla that is used. We weren't offered a top shelf taquilla and the drinks were... Average.


First were the Nachos. We ordered without pico, peppers, or lettuce ad it arrived rather bare with queso drizzled over baked chips. We dug in deep and found the Chili near the bottom.


I ordered the steak burrito which came with BBQ beans and rice. The beans were soupy but had a good smoked BBQ taste. We were expecting refried beans and the BBQ flavor didn't really match the rest of the plate but I enjoyed it. Linda didn't like it and didnt eat them.


The rice was stiff, a little undercooked, and not full of flavor. Linda was unimpressed with the rice and didn't eat it.

The burrito came with a red sauce that tasted like squash. Which is good if you like cooked squash. Linda said that if she had ordered the burrito she wouldn't have been able to eat it. The burrito has sautéed vegetables and was on the salty side but otherwise good.

Linda had the Enchilada with red sauce. It was good. The corn tortea didn't have much corn flavor, and was difficult to cut without using a knife, but was overall good.


We found the portions sized to have been appropriate for lunch, not dinner. Even with the nachos, we left hungry and decided to find desert elsewhere. Our meal (with tip) was over $80. I didn't see the value. Scale from 1 to 10? I'll give it a 6. Linda gave it a 5.

Colorado House of Beef, Kissimmee FL

To get a feel for what it might be like to live at Disney, we like to eat at local restaurants. One such place we decided to try was the Colorado House of Beef.

This place sits just outside Disney property on Rt 192. In fact, the parking lot backs to the casting offices.


Their sign advertises a fajita bar, steaks, ribs, etc However, when we arrived and sat down and tried to order a hamburger.. A simple hamburger that a house of beef should have - they couldn't make one. So, we left. Their loss.

Beef O'Brady's, Daveport Florida

One thing we like to do is dine off property. It is the most fun to avoid chains and try something local get a better understanding what living at Disney might be like.


Today we ate at Beef O'Brady's in Davenport on rt 27, just 20 minutes from Disney World. We simply take Rt 192 West until it ends, then head south on Rt 27.

O'Brady's is a sports bar restaurant so the place is ringed with TVs. There was no sound from the TVs and no closed caption, so lip reading was essential. The restaurant has a bar, which was always full. Wood finished booths and tables fill the rest of the restaurant. And other than an occasional crying kid, the restaurant was quite. There is also a room with several video games. 


A good rule is to always check the restroom before ordering in a restaurant because you can usually tell everything you need to know from how the bathrooms are maintained. The bathrooms were what you would expect to find in a bar - in terms of layout, function, decor, maintenance, and cleanliness. It wasn't horrible, but did suffer from lack of a really good cleaning. 

We chose our own seat. The bench I sat at still had crumbs from a past customer, so, I used a napkin and brushed them off. The menus awaited us at the table. The pages of my menu were sticky and had some kind of past food product on it. I had to hand sanitize after ordering. 


We ordered Nachoes with chili. They arrived in a basket and I was very concerned about the quality of nachos in such a relaxed serving. But they were awesome. The tomatoes were fresh, chips crispy, and the salsa was the best - a brown salsa with nice flavor and just a little bite. 


I ordered the chicken fajitas. The chicken had a very fresh unseasoned taste to it, which tells me it wasn't cooked with the peppers and onions. It was served with that incredible salsa, which was impractical because the salsa just ran out of the fajita and down my arm. 


Linda ordered the O'Brady Burger, which came provolone cheese and mayonnaise. Linda said it was good but she was full after only half the sand which. She ordered it medium well and it arrived perfectly cooked. 

Napkins are from a dispenser on the table, which is convenient. But the napkins were cheap and we had to use a mound of them. 

The service was good, the food was good, and if ever passing through Davenport again, I would stop back in to Beef O'Brady's.

Disney World: Nine Dragons

It must be incredible to run a restaurant at Disney World. The restaurant is always packed with a line out the door all year long - what a dream! Or, perhaps, this impression isn't true? 

We were in Epcot last week passing through China near park closing the food smelled incredible. So, we decided to try for an ADR for our next trip to Epcot in a week. 

We got an ADR for Nine Dragons for the exact time we wanted with no problem at all. 

When we arrived at Epcot it started to rain. We arrived an hour early for our ADR to see if we could get in... And they sat us immediately! We looked around the restaurant and it wasn't very full. 


During today's Dis Unplugged Podast it was mentioned that when people dine at Disney they expect the meal to be the greatest meal they have every had or else they are disappointed. There is truth to that. Our Chinese restaurant back home is much better and a third the price. 
 

It is all about setting expectations and appreciating the opportunity to dine at Disney. It has to be good but it doesn't have to be the best you have ever had. Nine Dragons was a nice change of pace and a great experience. Because Nine Dragons has Chinese food you can get anywhere else for a third the price, we probably won't eat at Nine Dragons ever again. But it was a nice experience.